Method for performing mesh control in wireless communications system, and associated apparatus

Abstract

A method for performing mesh control in a wireless communications system and associated apparatus are provided. The method may include: carrying a set of link information in a preamble of a first data transmission frame transmitted from the first mesh device to a second mesh device, wherein the set of link information may include at least one indication among the following indications: a source-destination relationship indication between the first mesh device and the second mesh device and at least one predicted signal strength measured for the first mesh device and the second mesh device; wherein a third mesh device is arranged to monitor wireless transmission in the wireless communications system to obtain the set of link information from the first data transmission frame, and determine spatial reuse (SR) transmission availability of the third mesh device based on the set of link information.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for performing mesh control in a wireless communications system, the wireless communications system comprising a first mesh device, a second mesh device and a third mesh device, the method comprising:
 carrying a set of link information in a preamble of a first data transmission frame transmitted from the first mesh device to the second mesh device, wherein the set of link information comprises at least one indication among the following indications: a source-destination relationship indication between the first mesh device and the second mesh device, the source-destination relationship indication dedicated to the first mesh device and the second mesh device, and at least one predicted signal strength measured for the first mesh device and the second mesh device; 
 wherein the third mesh device is arranged to monitor wireless transmission in the wireless communications system to obtain the set of link information from the first data transmission frame, and determine spatial reuse (SR) transmission availability of the third mesh device based on the set of link information. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first data transmission frame is a physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit (PPDU), and the preamble is the PHY preamble of the PPDU. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one indication is carried in at least one field in the PHY preamble, and the at least one field comprises one or a combination of a basic service set (BSS) color field and an SR field in the PHY preamble. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the third mesh device is arranged determine the SR transmission availability based on the source-destination relationship indication. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , wherein at least one mesh control device in the wireless communications system is arranged to obtain multiple sets of link information among different mesh devices, the third mesh device being informed of at least a part of the multiple sets of link information from the mesh control device, wherein the multiple sets of link information comprise combinations of BSS color information and source-destination information. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5 , wherein the at least one mesh control device may comprise one or a combination of the first mesh device and the third mesh device. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 4 , wherein the first data transmission frame is a physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit (PPDU), and the preamble is the PHY preamble of the PPDU; and the first source-destination relationship indication is carried in at least one field in the PHY preamble, wherein the at least one field comprises one or a combination of a basic service set (BSS) color field and an SR field in the PHY preamble. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the BSS color field is arranged to carry the first source-destination relationship indication; and respective BSS color fields of respective PHY preambles of multiple data transmission frames from the first mesh device to different destinations are arranged to carry different BSS color values, wherein the second mesh device is one of said different destinations, and the first source-destination relationship indication is a BSS color value corresponding to the second mesh device among said different BSS color values. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the combination of the BSS color field and the SR field in the PHY preamble are arranged to carry the first source-destination relationship indication; and respective BSS color fields of respective PHY preambles of multiple data transmission frames from the first mesh device to different destinations are arranged to carry a same BSS color value, and respective SR fields of the respective PHY preambles of the multiple data transmission frames from the first mesh device to said different destinations are arranged to carry different SR-field values, wherein the second mesh device is one of said different destinations, and the first source-destination relationship indication is a BSS-color-value and SR-field-value set corresponding to the second mesh device among multiple predetermined BSS-color-value and SR-field-value sets. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the third mesh device is arranged to determine the SR transmission availability based on the at least one predicted signal strength. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the first data transmission frame is a physical layer (PHY) protocol data unit (PPDU), and the preamble is the PHY preamble of the first PPDU; and a destination-side signal strength indication indicating the at least one predicted signal strength is carried by an SR field in the PHY preamble. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11 , wherein the destination-side signal strength indication is an SR-field value for indicating a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) range among multiple predetermined RSSI ranges, wherein the SR-field value is equal to any value among multiple integer values in a predetermined interval. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 carrying another set of link information in a preamble of another first data transmission frame transmitted from the first mesh device to the second mesh device, wherein the other set of link information comprises a forbidden indication regarding the SR transmission availability of the third mesh device; 
 wherein according to the forbidden indication, the third mesh device is prevented from performing any SR transmission operation with respect to the other first data transmission frame. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the forbidden indication is a predetermined SR-field value for indicating an invalid received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value, wherein the predetermined SR-field value is equal to 12. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first data transmission frame is a non-trigger-based (non-TB) frame. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one predicted signal strength comprises a signal strength of a previous frame sent from the first mesh device to the second mesh device. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 if the set of link information comprises the source-destination relationship indication, the first mesh device is an access point (AP) device or a station (STA) device, the second mesh device is an AP device or a STA device, and the third mesh device is an AP device; and 
 if the set of link information comprises the at least one predicted signal strength, the first mesh device is an AP device or a STA device, the second mesh device is an AP device or a STA device, and the third mesh device is an AP device. 
 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17 , wherein the set of link information comprises both of the source-destination relationship indication and the at least one predicted signal strength. 
     
     
       19. A second mesh device that operates according to the method of  claim 1 , wherein the second mesh device comprises:
 a processing circuit, arranged to control operations of the second mesh device; and 
 at least one communications control circuit, coupled to the processing circuit, arranged to perform communications control, wherein the at least one communications control circuit is arranged to perform wireless communications operations with the first mesh device for the second mesh device; 
 
       wherein:
 the second mesh device is arranged to receive the first data transmission frame carrying the set of link information in the preamble and correctly process the first data transmission frame, without being hindered by any spatial reuse (SR) transmission performed by the third mesh device to another mesh device with respect to the first data transmission frame. 
 
     
     
       20. A first mesh device, for performing mesh control in a wireless communications system, the wireless communications system comprising the first mesh device, a second mesh device and a third mesh device, the first mesh device comprising:
 a processing circuit, arranged to control operations of the first mesh device; and 
 at least one communications control circuit, coupled to the processing circuit, arranged to perform communications control, wherein the at least one communications control circuit is arranged to perform wireless communications operations with the second mesh device for the first mesh device; 
 
       wherein:
 the first mesh device is arranged to carry a set of link information in a preamble of a first data transmission frame transmitted from the first mesh device to the second mesh device, wherein the set of link information comprises at least one indication among the following indications: a source-destination relationship indication between the first mesh device and the second mesh device, the source-destination relationship indication dedicated to the first mesh device and the second mesh device, and at least one predicted signal strength measured for the first mesh device and the second mesh device; and 
 the third mesh device is arranged to monitor wireless transmission in the wireless communications system to obtain the set of link information from the first data transmission frame, and determine spatial reuse (SR) transmission availability of the third mesh device based on the set of link information. 
 
     
     
       21. A method for performing mesh control in a wireless communications system, the wireless communications system comprising a first mesh device, a second mesh device and a third mesh device, the method comprising:
 monitoring wireless transmission in the wireless communications system to obtain a set of link information from a preamble of a first data transmission frame, wherein the first mesh device is arranged to carry the set of link information in the preamble of the first data transmission frame transmitted from the first mesh device to the second mesh device, wherein the set of link information comprises at least one indication among the following indications: a source-destination relationship indication between the first mesh device and the second mesh device, the source-destination relationship indication dedicated to the first mesh device and the second mesh device, and at least one predicted signal strength measured for the first mesh device and the second mesh device; and 
 determining spatial reuse (SR) transmission availability of the third mesh device based on the set of link information.